At about 5:30 AM on Sunday, June 25, 2017, officers from District C-11 (Dorchester) responded to a radio call for a breaking and entering report in the area of 2261 Dorchester Avenue at Ester Restaurant.

The officers were informed that sometime during the early morning hours, three unknown male suspects in hoodies smashed the lock and glass door to the restaurant with a sledge hammer and crow bar and stole a large safe from the restaurant. The incident was caught on surveillance video, and the suspect description was broadcast on the police radio.

At approximately 7:15 AM that same morning, an off-duty Boston Police officer on his way to work observed three males and two cars parked on the side of road near a marshy area on Enneking/Turtle Pond Parkway in Hyde Park. One of the males appeared to be a “lookout” while the two other males struggled with a large object in the backseat of the vehicle parked close to the marshy waters. Based on the officer’s training and experience, as well as his knowledge of the area, the officer broadcast his location and observations and turned his vehicle around to further investigate. When the officer approached in full uniform, two of the males fled in a black vehicle while the third attempted to flee in the white vehicle with the large object in the backseat. The officer was able to block the white car from leaving, and as additional officers arrived, they apprehended the male without further incident. Inside the suspect’s car, officers observed the stolen safe and the burglarious tools used to break into Ester Restaurant. Officers arrested the suspect, identified as 18-year-old Raheem Rivera of Dorchester, and charged him with Buying/Receiving Stolen Property, Breaking and Entering in the Nighttime, and Possession of Burglarious Tools. Detectives continue to seek the additional two suspects.